Security bindings for skis

ABSTRACT

A security device for maintaining a ski to the shoe of a skier after the main safety binding has opened, comprises a lash secured in a cavity of a block. The block is attached to the ski and the lash is attached to the shoe of the skier. At least a portion of the lash in the cavity is folded. At least a portion of a member enters between the fold to prevent the lash from leaving the cavity when a tensile stress is applied to the lash.

mted States Patent 1191 [111 3,778,072 Salomon [4 Dec. 11, 1973 SECURITY BINDINGS FOR SKIS 3,490,782 1/1970 Hatlapa 280/1135 N [75] Inventor: Georges Pierre Joseph Salomon, FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS Annecy France 266,42l 4/1966 Australia 24/196 [73] Assignee; S A, Francois Salomon & Fils, 30,971 2/1960 Finland 24/196 Annecy, France [22] Filed: D 4 1970 Primary Examiner-Leo Friaglia Assistant Examiner-Milton L. Smith PP N05 95,143 Att0rney-Robert E. Burns and Emmanuel J. Lobato [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT ec 5 fame 0 A security device for mamtammg a sh to the shoe of 52 us. (:1 1. 280/1135 N 24/171 24/196 a after the main Safety binding [51] Int. Cl. A6 3c 9/00 prises a lash secured in a cavity of a block The block 5 Field Search u N 1135 R. is attached to the Ski and the lash is attached 10 the 24/196 16/202 205 2977384 shoe of the skier. At least a portion of the lash in the cavity is folded. At least a portion of a member enters [56] References Cited between the fold to prevent the lash from leaving the UNITED STATES PATENTS cavity when a tensile stress is applied to the lash. 3,148,427 9/1964 Hoffstrom 24/196 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures .PMENTED DEC 1 I 973 SHEET ICE 3 SECURITY BINDINGS FOR SKIS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to security bindings for skis.

The use of safety bindings which open when undue stresses are applied to the ski for protecting the skier against injuries caused by such stresses, necessitate the setting of security lashes connecting the ski to the shoe of the skier in order to prevent the ski being lost downhill when the safety bindings open.

It is known to connect the lashes to the safety bindings, thus avoiding the piercing of further holes in the ski.

Many devices are known which provide such a connection. a

One of these known devices consists of a ring or a buckle fixed in any region of the binding or its support plate, the ring being fixed or articulated, the lash is then tightened in the ring by a knot or by a buckle formed by the passing of the lash through a longitudinal slot in that lash.

Another known device consists in a fixed ring inte- 'gral with the binding, the lash being tightened to that ring by a buckle provided at one extremity of the lash by a fold of that extremity and maintained by a sealed collar.

Such devices necessitate a special metallic ring piece tightened to the binding which is unesthetic and costly and which may be prejudicial to the good mechanical functioning of the lash.

AIMS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is the provision of a device for securing a ski to the shoe ofa wearer which is simple to construct and assemble and is relatively foolproof.

According to the present invention, a device for securing a ski to a shoe of a wearer to prevent the ski from being lost, comprises a block adapted to be connected to the ski, said block being formed with a cavity, a lash for connecting the block to the shoe of the wearer, a part of which lash is folded within the cavity to form a loop, and a member, a portion at least of which member extends into the cavity and between the folds of the loop of the lash to maintain the lash in the cavity when a tension is applied to the lash by the attempted separation of the ski from the shoe.

Preferably, the cavity is a through cavity and the member has a boss and a tongue extending from the boss, the member being arranged between the folds of the loop of the lash, the boss wedging the folds of the lash against the opposite sides of the cavity when a tension is applied to the lash.

Alternatively, the member is a pin, a portion of the shank of which pin extends between the folds of the loop of the lash.

The pin may have a portion, which portion is a force fit in an aperture in the block.

Advantageously, the cavity is tapered, the member having a complementary taper. The member may be moulded to one end of the lash.

Preferably, the member is a screw connecting a jaw to the block, the shank of the screw extending between the folds of the loop of the lash, the cavity being formed between a face of the jaw and the opposed face of the block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, reference being made to the FIGS. of the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a partially explosed embodiment of the device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the embodiment shown on FIG. 1 after setting of the lash;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section on the line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section on the line IV-IV of FIG. 5 of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section on the line V-V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the device according to the invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the device; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view on the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a lashing or lash 1, preferably of rectangular cross-section, and folded on itself to define a loop, passes through a cavity 4 provided in a block or body portion 2 which block is adapted to be connected to a ski (not shown). The cavity 4 comprises a pair of opposed spaced-apart major surfaces defining therebetween a slot, which has an opening 3 visible on the upper surface of the block 2 and which extends through the block 2 to the forward surface of the block 2 to an opening 5. The cavity 4 is limited adjacent the opening 5 in part by lateral edges 9 and 10. The loop formed by the lash I, after passing the lash 1 through the cavity 4, is easily accessible. Locking means comprising a locking member 6 having a boss section 7 and a tongue or planar section 8 extending from the boss 7 is set inside the loop formed by the lash 1 to lock the lash to the block 2. When tension is applied to the free ends of the lash 1, the fold with the member 6 therebetween enters the locking cavity 4 via opening 5 and is clamped or locked in this position. The boss 7, increased by the two thicknesses of the lash forming the loop, causes awedging effect of the loop in the cavity 4. Further, the tongue 8 cooperates with its two faces with the walls of the cavity to guide the lash l.

The length of tongue 8 is such that when no effort is exerted on the lash l, the tongue 8 is still prevented from escaping from. the loop outside the cavity 4 towards the lower part of the binding.

The member 6 does not suffer high mechanical stresses and can therefore be made of plastic material for example, polyamide which is resistant to climatic conditions. Of course it is not necessary that the two ends of the lash 1 emerging from the opening 3 should be connected to another member or submitted to a stress although the two extremities of the lash are used to make a buckle round the shoe of the wearer.

In a different embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the block 2 is formed with a cavity having an opening 20 in the upper surface of the block, a portion 16 having parallel walls and a circular bottom portion 17. A member in the form of a removable pin 18 extends into the bottom portion 17 to define an annular chamber. The portion 16 has a thickness slightly greater than twice the thickness of a lash l. The portion 17 communicates with an aperture having opposite openings 21, 22 in the block 2.

The lash 1 is folded on itself and introduced into the portion 16 via opening 20. When the folded lash 1 enters the portion 17 the two extremities of the lash 1 diverge because of the elasticity of said lash, this divergence being increased when the extremity of the fold reaches the bottom of cavity portion 17.

The pin 18 is then introduced through the side opening 21 a part of which enters the internal part of the fold of lash 1. It is evident that when a tension is applied to lash 1, the fold will remain in the portion 17 by the anchoring effect caused by pin 18 and by the wedging effect caused by pin 18 in the portion 16.

In order to avoid any possible release of pin 18 from portion'l7, for example, when lash 1 is not submitted to tension and when the whole of the device is submitted to various movements, the pin 18 is clamped in the portion 17, for example by force fitting the pin 18 in the opening 21 or by a locking screw (not shown). It should be noted that the anchoring action of pin 18 in the portion 17 does not relate to the wedging effect of lash 1 in portion 16 by pin 18. The anchoring and wedging functions relate to a single piece for simplicity and economic reasons.

In a preferred embodiment, the pin 18 is cylindrical and has a tapered end facilitating the introduction of the pin 18 in the fold. The pin 18 has two portions of different diameter, one cooperating with the fold of the lash 1, and the other a force fit in the block 2. In this embodiment, cavity 17 is also ofa cylindrical shape and the pin 18, for example of plastics material, is introduced by force through the opening 21 in to the portion 17.

Of course, a device can be foreseen in which the pin 18 and the cavity portion 17 are not cylindric but, for example, prismatic.

The pin 18 can be driven out the cavity portion 17 by means of a tool reaching the pin 18 through the aperture 22.

In a further embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a tapered cavity 11 is formed in a block. The smallest end of the cavity is form ed adjacent the upper surface of the block as seen in FIG. 6. A wedge member 12 having a complementary shape to the cavity 11 is moulded to the end of a lash 1 which can be either circular or rectangular in cross-section.

The wedge member 12 moulded to the end of the lash 1 is introduced into the cavity 11 through the upper surface of the block. During this operation, the lash is not folded and the member 12 penetrates in the cavity 11. When the member 12 and a certain length of lash has passed through the cavity 11, the extremity of the lash is folded back on the member 12 and threaded through the cavity 11 from the bottom to the upper surface of the block. When a tensile force is exerted on lash l, the wedge member 12 comes into contact with a wall of the cavity 11. One of the faces of the wedge member 12 is directly applied to one of the walls of the cavity 11, the other face engages against lash 1 which is itself engaging on the other wall of cavity 11. Under these circumstances, the member 12 and lash 1 remain clamped by wedging in the cavity 11.

Reference is now being made to FIGS. 7 and 8 which show yet a further embodiment of the invention. The cross-section of the lash l is preferably circular, the lash 1 is passed around the shank 13 of a screw 15 attached to a part of the block. In this case, the block is made of two pieces, for example, a support 14 and a jaw 12 whose position on the support can be adjusted in height by means of ratchet teeth or a like system.

The cavity is defined by opposed surfaces of the support 14 and the jaw 12 and is in the form of a U-shaped passage-way extending around the shank 13.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for securing a ski to a shoe of a wearer to prevent the ski from being lost comprising: a block connectable during use of the device to the ski and having means therein defining a through cavity extending from an inner opening to an outer opening, a lash for connecting said block to the shoe of a wearer and having a part folded within said cavity to form a loop, and a member having at least a first portion extending into the cavity and between the fold of the loop of the lash to maintain said part of said lash in the cavity when a tension is applied to the lash and having at least a second portion cooperative with said cavity to maintain said first portion of said member and saidpart of said lash in said cavity when no tension is applied to said lash, said member comprising a boss and a resilient tongue extending from the boss, said member being arranged between the fold of the loop of said lash with said boss adjacent the loop end of said lash and with said tongue extending from the boss in a direction from said inner opening to said outer opening of said cavity, said boss wedging the fold of said lash against opposite sides of the cavity when a tension is applied to said lash tending to remove said lash from said outer opening, and said tongue resiliently opposing removal of said lash and said member through said inner opening.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which said outer opening is generally transverse of the direction of elongation of said cavity and said inner opening is generally parallel to the direction of elongation of said cavity.

3. A device for connecting a ski to a skier comprising a body portion connectable to a ski during use of the device and having means therein defining a cavity having a pair of opposed spaced-apart major surfaces defining therebetween a slot extending completely through said body portion; a lashing connectable to a skier during use of the device and having a folded portion defining a loop extending into said slot; and an elongated locking member inserted into the interior of said loop continuously wedging said loop against said pair of major surfaces to effect locking of said lashing to said body portion irrespective of whether said lashing is in a tensioned or slackened condition.

4. A device according to claim 3; wherein said locking member has a configuration substantially similar to that of said cavity.

5. A device according to claim 3; wherein said elongated member comprises an elongated planar section and an enlarged boss section connected to one end of said planar section. 

1. A device for securing a ski to a shoe of a wearer to prevent the ski from being lost comprising: a block connectable during use of the device to the ski and having means therein defining a through cavity extending from an inner opening to an outer opening, a lash for connecting said block to the shoe of a wearer and having a part folded within said cavity to form a loop, and a member having at least a first portion extending into the cavity and between the fold of the loop of the lash to maintain said part of said lash in the cavity when a tension is applied to the lash and having at least a second portion cooperative with said cavity to maintain said first portion of said member and said part of said lash in said cavity when no tension is applied to said lash, said member comprising a boss and a resilient tongue extending from the boss, said member being arranged between the fold of the loop of said lash with said boss adjacent the loop end of said lash and with said tongue extending from the boss in a direction from said inner opening to said outer opening of said cavity, said boss wedging the fold of said lash against opposite sides of the cavity when a tension is applied to said lash tending to remove said lash from said outer opening, and said tongue resiliently opposing removal of said lash and said member through said inner opening.
 2. A device according to claim 1, in which said outer opening is generally transverse of the direction of elongation of said cavity and said inner opening is generally parallel to the direction of elongation of said cavity.
 3. A device for connecting a ski to a skier comprising a body portion connectable to a ski during use of the device and having means therein defining a cavity having a pair of opposed spaced-apart major surfaces defining therebetween a slot extending completely through said body portion; a lashing connectable to a skier during use of the device and having a folded portion defining a loop extending into said slot; and an elongated locking member inserted into the interior of said loop continuously wedging said loop against said pair of major surfaces to effect locking of said lashing to said body portion irrespective of whether said lashing is in a tensioned or slackened condition.
 4. A device according to claim 3; wherein said locking member has a configuration substantially similar to that of said cavity.
 5. A device according to claim 3; wherein said elongated member comprises an elongated planar section and an enlarged boss section connected to one end of said planar section. 